Aylmerton
Encyclopedia
Aylmerton is a village
in the county of Norfolk
, England. It is in the area of North Norfolk
and lies 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south of the North Sea
, 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south-west of Cromer
and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Holt
. The parish is bordered by the parishes of Beeston Regis
and Runton
to the north, West Beckham to the west, Felbrigg
to the east and Gresham
and Sustead
to the south. The village is ¾ miles south of the A148 King’s Lynn to Cromer
road. The nearest railway stations are Cromer
at 2.9 miles (4.7 km) and Roughton Road at 4.1 miles (6.6 km). The civil parish has an area of 6.86 square kilometres and in the 2001 census
the population was 435 in 178 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish is in North Norfolk
, whose headquarters are in Cromer.
of 1085. In the great book Aylmerton is recorded by the names Almartune, and Almertune, the main land holder being William de Warren
and the main tenant Roger Bigot
. The survey also states that there is ½ a church. In the Domesday survey fractions were used to indicate that the entry, in this case a church, was on an estate that lay within more than one parish.
The estate has particular significance through the connections with Nathaniel Kent and Humphry Repton
, both of whom were involved at Felbrigg in the early stages of their careers. A lake, which is invisible from the Hall, was created in the mid-18th century by damming the Scarrow Beck. A pleasant and attractive feature, the lake encourages a wide range of bio-diversity. To the west and north, pasture woodland merges into the Great Wood. Local residents continue to enjoy access to the network of footpaths, many being old rights of way, which run through grassland, woodland pasture and woods. Especially popular is the well-known “Lions Mouth”, an attractive beauty spot which can be reached from the main road (A148) and is particularly popular with walkers and ramblers
. Particular care is taken with veteran trees, and there is a programme for gradual replacement of small 20th-century softwood plantations by hardwoods, notably sweet chestnut
, beech
and oak
, which have long grown here.
and is a 15th-century building. It has a round flint tower, thought to be over 700 years old. The church stands above the village on the side of a small hillside. The priest’s room, which is over the porch, can be entered via the original ironbound door in the nave. The chancel
windows date from the middle of the 14th century, and there are some beautiful carvings, a traceried screen dating 1500 and four elaborate bench ends with poppy
heads which were carved over 400 years ago. There are the remains of a transept on the north side of the church, reduced when the nave was rebuilt.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England. It is in the area of North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
and lies 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south of the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south-west of Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
. The parish is bordered by the parishes of Beeston Regis
Beeston Regis
Beeston Regis is a village and civil parish in the North Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It is about a mile east of Sheringham, Norfolk and near the coast. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,091...
and Runton
West Runton
West Runton is a village in North Norfolk, England, approximately ¼ of a mile from the North Sea coast.-Overview:West Runton and East Runton together form the parish of Runton. The village straddles the A149 North Norfolk coast road and is 2½ miles west of Cromer and 1½ miles east of Sheringham...
to the north, West Beckham to the west, Felbrigg
Felbrigg
Felbrigg is a small village just south of Cromer in Norfolk, England. The Danish name means a 'plank bridge'.Historians believe that the original village was clustered around its Perpendicular church, in the grounds of Felbrigg Hall, a Jacobean mansion built in the early 17th century, a mile to the...
to the east and Gresham
Gresham, Norfolk
Gresham is a village and civil parish in North Norfolk, England, five miles south-west of Cromer.A predominantly rural parish, Gresham centres on its medieval church of All Saints. The village also once had a square 14th century castle, a watermill and a windmill...
and Sustead
Sustead
Sustead is a small village and parish in the county of Norfolk, England, about four miles south-west of Cromer.The parish also includes the villages of Bessingham and Metton. The parish is bounded by Aldborough and Hanworth to the south, Roughton to the east, Felbrigg and Aylmerton to the north...
to the south. The village is ¾ miles south of the A148 King’s Lynn to Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
road. The nearest railway stations are Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
at 2.9 miles (4.7 km) and Roughton Road at 4.1 miles (6.6 km). The civil parish has an area of 6.86 square kilometres and in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the population was 435 in 178 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish is in North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
, whose headquarters are in Cromer.
History
Aylmerton has an entry in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1085. In the great book Aylmerton is recorded by the names Almartune, and Almertune, the main land holder being William de Warren
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Seigneur de Varennes is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066...
and the main tenant Roger Bigot
Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk
Roger Bigod was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England.-Biography:Roger came...
. The survey also states that there is ½ a church. In the Domesday survey fractions were used to indicate that the entry, in this case a church, was on an estate that lay within more than one parish.
The Felbrigg Estate
The Felbrigg estate, owned by the National Trust, is close to the village lying to the east. The estate covers some 1760 acres (7.1 km²) of parkland and mixed woodland. The dominant feature is the 520 acres (2.1 km²) Great Wood which shelters the house.The estate has particular significance through the connections with Nathaniel Kent and Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
, both of whom were involved at Felbrigg in the early stages of their careers. A lake, which is invisible from the Hall, was created in the mid-18th century by damming the Scarrow Beck. A pleasant and attractive feature, the lake encourages a wide range of bio-diversity. To the west and north, pasture woodland merges into the Great Wood. Local residents continue to enjoy access to the network of footpaths, many being old rights of way, which run through grassland, woodland pasture and woods. Especially popular is the well-known “Lions Mouth”, an attractive beauty spot which can be reached from the main road (A148) and is particularly popular with walkers and ramblers
Ramblers
The Ramblers, formerly known as the Ramblers' Association, is the largest walkers' rights organisation in Great Britain which aims to look after the interests of walkers...
. Particular care is taken with veteran trees, and there is a programme for gradual replacement of small 20th-century softwood plantations by hardwoods, notably sweet chestnut
Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...
, beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, which have long grown here.
The Parish Church
The parish church is called St John the BaptistJohn the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
and is a 15th-century building. It has a round flint tower, thought to be over 700 years old. The church stands above the village on the side of a small hillside. The priest’s room, which is over the porch, can be entered via the original ironbound door in the nave. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
windows date from the middle of the 14th century, and there are some beautiful carvings, a traceried screen dating 1500 and four elaborate bench ends with poppy
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
heads which were carved over 400 years ago. There are the remains of a transept on the north side of the church, reduced when the nave was rebuilt.